Sure, they did. They won't play any more games this season in Anaheim. None on the West Coast, for that matter, where they're 9-33 since 2001.

"West Coast-itis," manager Jerry Manuel called it. "I'm going to stand up and hurry up and get out of here."

The Sox blew a chance to pick up a half-game on Kansas City, which had the night off. So they go to Texas trailing the Royals by two games after losing three of four to an injury-depleted Angels team that had been 5-20 since the All-Star break before the Sox arrived.

"I know they're the world champions, but that's not the world champions that beat us [three of the last four]," Frank Thomas said. "We just didn't score any runs or get any momentum at all."

The South Siders entered the game with an American League-high .307 average since the break. Not that you could tell. They were hopeless Thursday against Angels right-hander Scot Shields, a converted reliever who was making just his fifth start of the season. Shields retired seven batters before Joe Crede's soft single in the third.

Thomas supplied the only hard-hit ball off Shields with his fourth-inning double off the right-field wall. Shields retired 11 in a row after that.

"He throws hard and the ball is constantly moving," Thomas said. "He broke a lot of bats and worked ahead."

Sox starter Jon Garland settled down after allowing three runs on the first three innings, one on Tim Salmon's 16th homer.

He didn't have a 1-2-3 inning all night but lasted until the seventh, giving way to a faltering bullpen with a runner at first and one out.

Kelly Wunsch struck out Jeff Da-Vanon before giving up an RBI single to Garret Anderson.

Jon Adkins then made his major-league debut. He faced three batters, walking two and giving up an RBI double to Scott Spiezio.

Scott Schoeneweis struck out Adam Kennedy with the bases loaded to end the threat  and keep Adkins' ERA from reaching infinity.

The Sox finally rallied in the late innings.

Brian Daubach led off the eighth with a single, his first hit since July 5. Jose Valentin grounded out before Crede singled to left. Paul Konerko then beat out a potential double-play ball to push across Daubach.

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